Airlines Face Lobbying from Allergic Travelers

In the information on its campaign, the Canadian Anaphylaxis Initiative (CAI) references the 2010 Canadian Transportation Agency decision that found peanuts and tree nuts present “an obstacle to mobility” for air travel for those with these allergies.

But the CAI is of the view that the main remedy from the ruling – a buffer zone around the allergic person (in which no one eats peanuts and/or nuts) – is not sufficient accommodation given the risks of a serious reaction high in the skies.

The group would like to see other risk-reducing measures, such as an announcement (as is done on the WestJet airline) letting fellow passengers know there is a person on board with serious allergies to peanut and/or nuts and asking them to refrain from eating that food. It would also like to see flight crews trained for anaphylaxis emergencies and on the use of the epinephrine auto-injector. These points and more are included in its petition for a government “Policy to Reduce the Risk for Anaphylactic Passengers”.

How the Canadian Petition Works:

The CAI is asking Canadians who support more allergy accommodations in the skies to download the petition here and collect signatures. Then turn your petition into your local MP and ask that person to present it on behalf of you and those who signed in the House of Commons.

The CAI says: “When the petition is presented to the House of Commons, it will then be officially recorded into Hansard. The more petitions – the more attention to the issue. We expect petitions to continue to be presented for many months. It will be an on-going process.”